How are Hinduism and Sikhism related, considering they both originated in Punjab, India?
10.06.2025 19:42
Bhakti movement began in South (Tamil Nadu to be precise) and slowly spread to Northern parts of India. This movement was extremely popular because of its simple fundamentals which could be understood by even commonfolk. Vaishnavism, Shaivism etc… were already connecting with commonfolk from a long time and this Bhakti movement reinforced it by making the devotee feel a personal connection with the deity.
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
What would you change in Rings of Power?
Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23)
Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste and they included even people from humble origins like
To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating.
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I left Benares - I had little common sense. ||1|| Pause ||
That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. ||1||
From where did the word Maya come? Isn’t it a typical Vedantic concept discussed profoundly in Advaita? It definitely isn’t a concept pioneered by Kabir or even his teacher Ramanandacharya! It is ultimately from Sanatana Dharma!
Why would Joseph Smith say that polygamy was God's law?
The divergence of Kabir’s views from Vedanta is seen in the fact that he fully opposed religious symbolism of ALL KINDS and not just IDOLS.
Sant Kabir was staunchly against cow slaughter.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਕੀਆ ਵਖਾਨਾ ॥
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ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥
But we have actually seen how much Kabir is also rooted in the Vedantic concept of “supreme realization” but in a non-mainstream path.
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I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
Now tell me, Lord, what will my condition be?
What does success really mean to you? Is it about happiness, money, or something else?
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
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There is a reason why I mention ROOTED and thus NOT implying that it belongs to one of the numerous sects in Sanatana Dharma like Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism, Smartism etc…
There is my Lord self-revealed, and the scent of sandal and flowers dwells in those deeps.
I am like a fish out of water,
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਨ ਰੋਸੁ ॥
I wasted my whole life in the city of Shiva;
ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ॥
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Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
Now that my time to die has come, I have come to dwell at Magahar! ||3||
The views of Kabir are very much in parallel to the Advaita philosophy and it is obvious that as the disciple of Ramanandacharya he will carry forward with his chosen NIRGUN BHAKTI.
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He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva, so for his Guru (teacher),
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
NOW…
What is the best/cute/funny/playful chat/conversation between brother and sister?
Because in my previous life, I did not practice penance and intense meditation. ||1||
ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭਇਓ ਮੀਨਾ ॥
Sikhism is a NIRGUN path descending from the Sant Sampraday of Ramanandacharya and traces its ideas to VEDANTA!
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Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
Where should I go? My home is filled with bliss.
How can they kill the mother, whose milk they drink like that of a wet nurse?
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ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰਉ ਨ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਉ ॥
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Meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
If my lovely sister sleeps with my boyfriend, what should I do about her?
You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
Sikhism is fundamentally rooted in BHAKTI tradition and thus ultimately in Sanatana Dharma. There is no doubt about it despite what modern McSikh acrobatics try to claim otherwise
Where spring, the lord of seasons reigneth, there the unstruck music sounds of itself,
Now here in this verse
Recklessly they display boundless pride while explaining their own aims, they kill cows.
Ravidas (a chamar shoemaker)
ਕਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਜ ਸਿਵ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਜਾਨੈ ॥
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4||
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
Kaashi and Magahar - I consider them the same.
Raamaanand's Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
These morons know nothing, they wander about in ignorance,
With inadequate devotion, how can anyone swim across? ||4||
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ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 326
Ramarchan Paddati gives more info about his teachings.
ਕੈਸੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਜਬ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਪੂਰਬ ਜਨਮ ਹਉ ਤਪ ਕਾ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
He does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||
Here ਰਾਮੈ is Rama and not just lord. Kabir died chanting the name of Rama DESPITE him not finding any result of penances done in holy cities in his previous birth. Another example to show how much Kabir valued personal devotion to Rama in his own NIRGUN style.
— Kabir, II.57, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Ramanandacharya’s teachings were centered on pure and personal connection with the God Rama and didn’t believe in any kind of formal ritualism. He used the common vernacular language instead of Sanskrit so that everyone could understand.
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Sriraag / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 92
CONCLUSION:
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
ਏਕ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਲੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਨਮਸਕਾਰਉ ॥੩॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
Gauree, Kabeer Jee, Panch-Padas:
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਆਹਿ ॥੪॥੧੦॥
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
Actually, this part of the Ang 326 is widely used by McSikhs to show that Sikhism considers Hindu pilgrimages as useless and thus drives home the point again that the “religion” has got NOTHING to do with Hinduism.
ਮਰਨੁ ਭਇਆ ਮਗਹਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਸੀ ॥੩॥
For him Dharma was beyond everything physical including the desire for heaven because was fully into the NIRGUN . The last verse shows that according to him the company of the enlightened Sadhus is heaven which is again a typical teaching of Sanatana Dharma.
You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਾਹਿ ॥
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ਸਗਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਿਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
Ramanandacharya was a 14th-century Hindu Vaishnava devotional poet saint who amalgamated Advaita with Vaishnava Bhakti. He was the pioneer in validating NIRGUN and SAGUN Bhakti as parallel paths.
At the time of my death, I moved to Magahar. ||2||
How can people understand You, when they are entranced by Maya? ||1|| Pause ||
यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति ।
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
For many years, I practiced penance and intense meditation at Kaashi;
Hari is in the East, Allah is in the West.
We can see that great saints like Kabir and Ravidas etc… descended from the Ramananda sampradaya which is still the largest ascetic order in India.
ਬਹੁਤੁ ਬਰਸ ਤਪੁ ਕੀਆ ਕਾਸੀ ॥
One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
Says Kabeer, the Guru and Ganaysha and Shiva all know
ਅਲਹ ਰਾਮ ਕੇ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਪਰਾਨ ॥੪॥
ਅਬ ਕਹੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਵਨ ਗਤਿ ਮੋਰੀ ॥
ਤਜੀ ਲੇ ਬਨਾਰਸ ਮਤਿ ਭਈ ਥੋਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
The Word of the Guru's Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. ||3||1||
ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਉ ਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪੂਜਾ ॥
Raamaanand Jee, First House:
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
ਨਾ ਹਮ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ॥
Sain (a barber)
So in the same spirit Kabir finds pilgrimages to holy cities futile as his mind is fixated on Rama!
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
From Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 1195
For a superficial McSikh who is interested only in separation and not enlightenment the views of Kabir can be easily shown as a denouncement of Hindu practices.
The influence of Kabir is significant on Sikhism. The following Bani from Ang 1136 is attributed to GURU ARJAN DEV but if you observe at the end you can see that he was talking in the spirit of Sant Kabir.
That Kabeer died chanting the Lord's Name. ||5||15||
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਕੀ ਆਸ ॥
We have searched the turaki Dharam (Turk's religion, Islam), these teachers throw many thunderbolts,
then who is there to know what happens without?
Let's look at the views of Sant Kabir
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered, where millions of Saraswatis, goddess of music play the vina,
ਕਾਸੀ ਮਗਹਰ ਸਮ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥
ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
He accepted even women (Sursuri and Padywati) as disciples. Bhagat Pipa and Dhanna were Rajput and Jat who were also his disciples.
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
ਮਰਤੀ ਬਾਰ ਮਗਹਰਿ ਉਠਿ ਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
We can understand that Kabir despite being in favor of formless worship was very much embedded in the Dharmik fold but always preached in the spirit of the transcendental nature of Brahman to the point that HE LOST THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN HINDU AND MUSLIM.
Sadhna (a Muslim butcher) and
Guru Nanak (right) and Bhai Mardana (foreground) with Bhagat Kabir (left). This painting is found in the B-40 Janamsakhi, written and painted in 1733. The painting was made by Alam Chand Raj
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,
ਮੁਆ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਰਮਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮੈ ॥੫॥੧੫॥
ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
Without looking into one's heart, how can one reach paradise?
Again we see that the originator of this Sant Sampraday himself talks about Brahman even in Gurbani.
— Kabir, Ramaini 1, Translated by David Lorenzen
Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥
ਏਕੋ ਸੇਵੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੨॥
Let’s look at the most used verse by McSikhs to show that Sikhs are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ is Brahm i.e the Brahman of vedanta but it gets interpreted as an all-pervading lord god.
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325
I went to God's place, and worshipped Him there.
Let’s see what Gurbani has about Ramanandacharya’s views.
I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,
Kabir, Ravidas and ultimately the NINE SIKH GURUS are a product of this very Sant Sampraday founded by Ramanandacharya!
ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਹੋਇ ਨਹੀ ਚਰਨ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
ਗੁਰ ਪੀਰ ਮਿਲਿ ਖੁਦਿ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੫॥੩॥
— Kabir, III.2, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
The Sant Sampraday of Sikh panth integrates the warrior spirit of the Nihangs and Khalsa, the service of Seva panth and the renunciation of Udasi/Nirmala saints.
The young and the old drink milk pudding, but these fools eat the cow's body.
Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
There the streams of light flow in all directions, few are the men who can cross to that shore!
As mentioned above Guru Arjan Dev was talking from the perspective Sant Kabir whose views we have discussed much earlier here. We know that Sant Kabir continuing in the Ramanandi Sampradaya went further away from the mainstream ritualistic Hinduism and was journeying more towards a SEAMLESS Dharma.
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation, where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
ਓਛੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਕੈਸੇ ਉਤਰਸਿ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
Here ਨਿਰਗੁਣ is Nirgun and not just lord. This is just another example to show that Kabir himself continued in the NIRGUN BHAKTI path.
Kabir (a weaver)
My consciousness does not go out wandering. My mind has become crippled. ||1|| Pause ||
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads, where millions of Brahmas are reading the Vedas,
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. ||2||
Bhagat Kabir ji / Raag Gauri / / Guru Granth Sahib ji - Ang 325